Starting-gearing for internal-combustion engines.



0. FLANAGAN. STARTING GEARING FOR INTERNALCOMBUSTION ENGINE S.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. I, 1913.

Patented Jul 6,1915;

r s rarer err DENIS FLANAGAN, OF ALTHAM, NEAR ACCRINGTON, ENGLAND,ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF T0 CHARLES TURNER, 0F IRLAM, ENGLAND.

SFARTING-GEARING- FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented July c, 1915.

' Application filed November 1, 1913. Serial No. 798,648.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Dnnrs FLANAGAN, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing at Altham, near Accrington, 1n the county ofLancaster, England, have lnvented certain new and useful Improvements 1nStarting-Gearing for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to starting gearing for internal combustionengines and is particularly applicable for use in connection with motorvehicles, motor boats, aeroplanes and the like, but it may be applied tointernal combustion engines of all kinds, the chief object being toproduce a gearlng which will enable the engine to be started without thepossibility of any shock or jar being transmitted to the operatorwhether the engine starts correctly or backfires, and without anymaterial shock being inflicted upon any part of the mechanism of'whichthe starting gearing is composed.

In helical gearing the driver generates two forces which acting on thefollower impart to the latter (a) rotary motion and (b) an inclinationto move in an endwise direction, generally spoken of as an end thrust.In this invention these forces are utilized to engage, rotate anddisengage the engine shaft from'the starting mechanism in the mannerfully describedbelow.

By way of example; I illustrate an embodiment of my starting gear in theaccompanying sheet of drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevationand Fig. 2 a plan of a starting gearing applied to the engine shaft ofan internal combustion engine. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan of the same.Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the clutch on the transverse shaft.

In .these views, a designates the engine shaft; 6 6 two helical gearwheels; 0 0 two friction clutch members on the engine shaft, and d dratchet roller clutch members that operate in conjunction therewith. I

Rig-idly fixed on the shaft 6 is thehelical 1 or screw gear I), whichgears with a similar and in this instance smaller wheel 6 mountedloosely-on the -engine shaft a. Fixed to or forming part of the gear 6is the conical friction clutch member 0 that is adapted to be'moved intoand out of gear with the hollow cone clutch member a. The latter isrlgidly' fixed upon the engine shaft and may either form part of the fiywheel or be a separate part.

I lVhen the helical gears b b are rotated by turning the shaft 6 in thedirection indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, the end thrust set upthereby at once causes the gear 5 to force the sliding clutch member 0 von the engine shaft into engagement with the clutch member 0 which isfixed thereon, with the result that rotary motion is imparted to theengine shaft. As soon as the engine starts it tends toaccelerate thespeed member al and it has a recess 4 on one side.

A ball or roller 5 is arranged in the recess 4, and is held in place bya spring 6. The clutch member 03 revolves by itself when revolved in thedirection of the arrow in Fig. 1, and it actuates the clutch member (Zautomatically and like a ratchet wheel when revolved in the reversedirection. Of these members d is rigidly fixed upon the shaft 8 and Gilis provided with an arm 03 in which is pivoted a fork d which engageswith an annular groove 0 formed in the sliding portion between theclutch member 0 and the helical gear 6 When the direction of rotation ofthe engine is reversed owing to a back-fire it rotates the transverseshaft 6 through the helical gear wheels 6 b (in the opposite directionto the arrow in-Fig. 1) to a sufficient extent to cause the clutchmember d and the fork d to withdraw the sliding clutch member c from therigid clutch member a, therebydisconnecting the engine shaft a from thestarting gear and preventing the transmis- SlOIl of any severe strain tothe transverse shaft e.

As already indicated the arrangementshown on the drawings is merelyintended as an example as the same may be varied or modified withoutdeparting from the essential feaeni e oi "one invention, which consistsin 'eransmit'tmg motion ia'nrongh screw or ii neal gearing to utilizethe end thrust of such gearing to engage a clutch and rotate the engineshaft, and to iisengage such elnizch immediately the engine starts. Forexample any suitable type of clutch may be employed other than thoseillustrated, and instead of placing the helical wheel or worm b andclutch members 0 and c on the engine shaft, 0 might be placed on theengine shaft and b and 0 on a separate shaft in line with the engineshaft, or all might be placed on a separaee shaft suitably arranged torotate the engine shaft by gear or otherwise.

The transverse shaft 6 may be rotated by hand power applied through awheel or hand lever provided if necessary with a clutch, or by powerderived from a small electric or other s itable auxiliary motor suchpower being applied either directly or through a clutch or gear.

lie hat l claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentof the "United States 15 In a starting gearing, the combination with arevoluble shaft, and a clutchmember secured thereon, of a helicaltoothed wheel. slidable longitudinally on the said shaft and providedwith a clutch member for engaging with the said clutch member, a non--slidable helical toothed wheel gearing into the aforesaid wheel andholding the said clutch members in engagement when re- VOlVQCl in onedirection, and an automatic clutch. having one member secured to thelast said wheel and having its other member operatively connected withthe longitudinally slidable wheel and its clutch member and operating toplace the slidable clutch member out of engagement when the nonslidablewheel is revolved in the reverse direction in testimony whereof I am mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

DENIS FLANAGAN Witnesses Ennonn SIMrsoN Mosnnm', Menoomw SMn'rHnnsT.

